Department for Transport

Road Traffic Control

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers are available to highway authorities to enforce traffic management law; how many highway authorities have decided to use any powers available to them, and which highway authorities have chosen not to do so.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Highway authorities have a wide range of powers that they can use to deal with particular traffic management issues. A number of enforcement authorities are involved as well and, depending on the issue, includes local authorities themselves, Transport for London, Highways England and the Police. The Government does not keep central records of which enforcement authorities operate which regimes and to collate that information would not be possible except at disproportionate cost.

A1: Nottinghamshire

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 19 September (HL1574), whether they have completed their review of the Lessons Learned workshop; and if so, whether they intend to publish the results of the review of the 83 per cent escalation of costs for the recent improvements to the A1 highway near Gamston Airport.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Lessons Learned review was completed on 8 June 2016 and there are some outstanding issues regarding the possible requirement for permanent speed cameras. The agreement of alterations to a private access and the road safety audit works recommended must be completed before the full review can be published. Highways England intends to publish the findings on its website in due course.

A1: Nottinghamshire

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 19 September (HL1574), and in the light of the significant investment in improvements to the A1 highway near Gamston Airport, whether they plan to raise the speed limit on that stretch of the highway above 50 mph.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Highways England have plans to increase the speed limit on the A1 between Elkesley and Twyford Bridge to 70mph on the southbound carriageway through the new improvements. However, this cannot be implemented until works from the road safety audit have been addressed and new signs have been installed, which will be completed by March 2017.  There are also plans to increase the speed limit to 70mph on the northbound carriageway. However, the current speed limit will remain in place until an acceptable solution is found for the full closure of a direct access off the A1 to a private property and when the improvements have been made for a new alternative access

M1: Speed Limits

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 September (HL1845), on a convenient date in the last month, what percentage of the M1 Motorway was subject to a speed limit under 70 mph as consequence of roadworks causing unexpected restrictions of more than one week.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: From 00:01 on 03/10/2016 to 23:59 on 09/10/2016, the percentage of the M1 subject to speed restrictions was 16.7 per cent northbound and 17.2 per cent southbound.

High Speed Two

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 13 October (HL2001), which parts of the Data Protection Act 1998 prevent them from providing a list of persons on HS2’s Conflict of Interest Panel; on what dates the Panel have met in the last three years; and how many cases have come before the Panel at each meeting.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The release of the names and remuneration of HS2’s Conflict of Interest Managers is governed by the Data Protection Act. The release of such information would contravene the first data protection principle and therefore cannot be disclosed. The Conflicts of Interest Panel comprises six senior representatives from HS2 Ltd’s HR, Finance, Procurement, Commercial and Legal (General Counsel) teams plus two representatives from the Compliance team. Since the establishment of the Conflict of Interest Panel in October 2015, meetings have been scheduled fortnightly and are held unless there are no conflicts for the Panel to consider. Prior to October 2015, meetings were held on an ‘as and when’ basis when required – such meetings commenced in July 2013. As of the start of October 2016 the Panel has reviewed 217 cases of potential conflict of interest. In addition, where urgent views are required from the Panel that cannot wait until the next fortnightly meeting is held, the Panel members will provide their inputs by email correspondence.

Home Office

College of Policing

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications were received for the job of independent Chair of the Board of Directors of the College of Policing; and when they expect to announce the name of the successful candidate.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office received 23 applications for the role of Chair of the College of Policing. The selection process has commenced and an announcement will be made in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the recent attacks in Silwan and the fatal shooting of Ali Alef Shyoukhi.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces' use of live fire. We remain concerned by the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests and security incidents. We regularly raise these concerns with the Israeli Government, stressing the need for proportionality and proper accountability.

Liberia: Sexual Offences

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will offer support to the government of Liberia, in the context of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Mission in Liberia report Addressing Impunity for Rape in Liberia; and what diplomatic action they plan to take to encourage other nations to provide assistance in this regard.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We regularly raise sexual violence issues with the government of Liberia, UN agencies and diplomatic colleagues in Liberia. Our Ambassador will discuss this report with relevant parties over the coming weeks to assess where the UK might usefully support the government of Liberia and UN agencies to ensure those responsible for these crimes are held to account.

Turkey: Overseas Investment

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the political situation facing UK companies contemplating investing in Turkey.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: UK companies are active in a range of sectors in Turkey, and the UK is consistently among the country’s top sources of foreign investment. The failed coup in Turkey on 15 July and its aftermath has had some short term impact, and the political situation remains challenging. The Turkish economy is well under-pinned and offers significant opportunities for investors in the medium and long term, particularly if the government proceeds with planned structural reforms.

Turkey: Press Freedom

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent official closing in Turkey of more than 20 media outlets; and whether they will make representations to the government of Turkey about those closures.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In the aftermath of the coup attempt we have emphasised the need for Turkey to respect human rights, including press freedom, and the rule of law. It is vital that the Turkish Government’s response to the coup attempt be demonstrably lawful and measured, and undertaken in line with Turkey’s international obligations. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan) reiterated these messages to senior Turkish interlocutors, including President Erdogan, during his visit to Turkey on 19 October. We will continue to engage with the Turkish Government at all levels on these issues, and to monitor the situation closely.

Office of UK Permanent Representative to EU and Treasury

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to replace the permanent secretary to the Treasury or the permanent representative at the UK Permanent Representation to the EU.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: There are no plans to replace the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury or the Permanent Representative at the UK Permanent Representation to the EU.

Department for Exiting the European Union

European Court of Justice

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many European Court of Justice rulings against the UK government have not yet been implemented; and whether they will give details of those rulings.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Six European Court of Justice rulings have not yet been implemented. These are listed below:1.Case number C-161/14 – Commission v UKAn infraction judgment made by the Court of Justice of the European Union, where the court ruled that the UK has failed to apply the VAT reduced rate to supplies of energy saving materials correctly. This is currently under review.2. Case 301/10 (October 2012) – Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive – Commission v UKThe infraction judgment concerned the appropriate collection of urban waste water of agglomerations in Whitburn and London, and the appropriate treatment of urban waste water of agglomerations in London. Works on collection facilities at Whitburn are due to be completed by the end of 2017. Works to collection and treatment facilities, including the Thames Tideway Tunnel, are due to be completed by 2023.3. Case 304/15 (September 2016) – Large Combustion Plants Directive – Commission v UKThe infraction judgment concerned permitted NOx emissions from a coal-fired power station in Aberthaw. The regulator, Natural Resources Wales, will review the environmental permit to amend the emission limits early in 2017, with modifications at the plant due to take place in summer 2017. There has also been a recalculation of the power station’s contribution to the UK’s Transitional National Plan for combustion plants.4. C-530/11 European Commission v UKThe Court of Justice of the European Union handed down an infraction judgment concluding that the UK had breached EU law by failing to ensure procedures for certain environmental challenges were not prohibitively expensive.5. Case number C-304/14 – Secretary of State for the Home Department v CSA judgement on the interpretation of Article 20 TFEU, regarding the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.6. Case number C-115/15 – Secretary of State for the Home Department v NAA judgement on the interpretation of Articles 20 and 21 TFEU regarding freedom of movement for workers within the Community.

Department for International Development

Eritrea: Refugees

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks and potential human rights infringements arising from the repatriation of refugees from Sudan to Eritrea.

Lord Bates: Refugees and irregular migrants in the Horn of Africa are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation not only by people smugglers and traffickers but also by government authorities. The UK is using its position as current chair of The Khartoum Process to push for international agreement around improving the conditions of migrants in the Horn of Africa.The Khartoum Process is a regional initiative bringing together the Governments of Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan and Libya and the EU, the UK, Italy, France, Germany and Malta to better manage migration in the region, including the protection of irregular migrants. The Khartoum Process has a strong emphasis on the protection of migrant rights and is at the centre of a plan of action agreed between African nations, the EU and EU member states.The UK Government has voiced concern for the wellbeing of refugees returned to Eritrea from Sudan with both governments will continue to press them to treat refugees and asylum seekers according to international law.

Developing Countries: Older People

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent ageing and older people in developing countries remain an issue of concern for the Department for International Development, why this matter no longer forms part of the Department's ministerial portfolios, and whether ageing still forms part of the Department’s Inclusive Societies work.

Lord Bates: The Department for International Development's (DFID) Inclusive Societies department leads the Department's work on ageing. The Minister of State, Rory Stewart, has responsibility for Inclusive Societies department’s work.Many DFID programmes reach and include older people, for example on health systems strengthening and eye care, or specific programmes for the poorest including supporting slum dwellers in Tanzania or supporting widows resulting from the Genocide in Rwanda.Ageing also features in DFID country level poverty analyses as a key factor in understanding poverty. In addition to this DFID is taking a global leadership role to push for better quality and use of age disaggregated data to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals leave no one behind. DFID hosted a series of high profile events on this subject in May and is working towards the publication of an action plan detailing next steps early in 2017.

Literacy

Lord Bird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Project Literacy campaign, and whether they have plans to support and promote that campaign.

Lord Bates: The Department for International Development (DFID) share Project Literacy’s view that illiteracy leaves people around the world vulnerable to poverty, abuse and exploitation, and are committed to supporting the Global Goal target of ensuring that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030. The majority of DFID’s education programmes are focused on ensuring all children are able to read, write and count. For example, DFID is helping to increase literacy rates amongst women and girls in Northern Nigeria, where 7 out of 10 women cannot read at all, through the Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises project, which supports 18,000 young women to improve their literacy and numeracy.

Department for Education

Home Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current arrangements for parents who decide to homeschool their children; whether children who are homeschooled are given a Unique Pupil Number; and what safeguards there are to ensure that the relevant educational and local authorities are informed of the educational development and well-being of homeschooled children.

Lord Nash: Responsibility for providing a suitable full-time education for children of compulsory school age who are educated at home rests with the parents. Although local authorities do not have a power to monitor such provision on a routine basis, they are under a duty to identify children who are not receiving a suitable full-time education, and as part of that process will take appropriate steps to ensure that if a child is not being properly educated at home, a school attendance order is served. Published departmental guidance to local authorities on this matter is attached.Children who are educated at home are not allocated a unique pupil number (UPN), although if the child had been in attendance at a state-funded school at some point before being withdrawn for home education, he or she would have been allocated a UPN at that point. 



HL2232 Elective Home Education guidance for LAs
(PDF Document, 1.05 MB)

Higher Education: Admissions

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what oversight is provided to private higher education providers enrolling students onto degree courses to ensure minimum criteria are met for entry onto undergraduate degrees.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: It is for individual higher education providers to determine the minimum criteria for entry onto their courses. However, private providers must meet a number of conditions to gain designation for student support. These include having a successful Quality Assurance Agency Higher Education Review (Alternative Providers), which tests providers’ recruitment, selection and admission policies and procedures, as well as ensuring that all students recruited onto courses designated for student support meet a minimum English Language requirement. The Department monitors whether providers comply with the conditions of designation to ensure providers are held accountable and to protect the student and public interest. If at any point the Department determines that the conditions have not been met, it could put in place a range of sanctions, including the removal of course designation.

Higher Education: Admissions

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what regulatory provision the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education makes to ensure that private higher education providers maintain minimum admission standards for undergraduate degrees and provide value for money.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The UK Quality Code, which the Quality Assurance Agency’s Higher Education Review (Alternative Providers) uses to assess private providers, sets out the following expectations about recruitment, selection and admission to higher education:“Recruitment, selection, and admission policies and procedures adhere to the principles of fair admission. They are transparent, reliable, valid, inclusive and underpinned by appropriate organisational structures and processes. They support higher education providers in the selection of students who are able to complete their programme.” It is a condition of designation for student support that private providers maintain successful outcomes from these QAA reviews and annual monitoring. QAA's Concerns Scheme investigates specific concerns about the management of academic quality and standards, including recruitment, selection and admissions.

Schools: Playing Fields

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total amount of land that has been disposed of by schools which have sold their playing fields since 2010.

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether sales of school playing fields are increasing; and if so, whether they will take steps to curb such sales.

Lord Nash: Local authorities and schools must by law seek consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of playing field land. The department has a strong policy presumption against the disposal of school playing fields and only provides consent to dispose of playing field land if the criteria set out in the departmental guidance are met; which includes an expectation that proceeds from sales are reinvested in sports and education facilities. The department publishes a list of department decisions on applications for consent to dispose of school playing field land.It would neither be practical or desirable to artificially curb the sale of school playing fields, when such disposals may represent the most effective use of public assets. Often changes are made to education provision, such as school closures or mergers, which mean it is no longer necessary to retain playing fields for school use. In such cases it is only right that local communities are able to benefit from space that otherwise would not be used. Converting surplus or unwanted assets to invest in school grounds has benefits that extend far beyond the school gates. No operating school has disposed of its entire playing field.It is therefore right that schools should continue to determine what is suitable for their individual circumstances; subject to strong statutory protections including the Secretary of State’s consent and the application of rigorous criteria for what is best for pupils’ education and wider school and community life.

Physical Education: North West

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of schools in Merseyside and Lancashire have a curriculum which includes physical education.

Lord Nash: We want all pupils to be healthy and active, which is why Physical Education remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum. The curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop the competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, engage in competitive sports and are physically active for sustained periods of time. Academies and free schools are not required to follow the national curriculum but must provide a broad and balanced curriculum. The Government has made it clear that the national curriculum should be a benchmark which academies can use and improve upon.

Schools: Admissions

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 14 March (HL7000, HL7001 and HL7002), when they expect to publish the outcome of the public consultation, particularly in relation to the issues raised in the 2015 Annual Report of the Office of the Chief Schools Adjudicator.

Lord Nash: The Government has not undertaken a consultation on this matter as yet. We are considering possible changes to the admissions system; any changes will be subject to a full statutory process.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the importance of landscape quality when new housing is built on greenfield sites.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government is very clear that good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, is indivisible from good planning, and should contribute positively to making places better for people. It wants to see new developments that function well and add to the overall quality of the area, that establish a strong sense of place by using streetscapes and buildings to create attractive and comfortable places to live, work and visit.The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning policies and decisions should take account of the different roles and character of different areas and recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside.

Housing and Planning Act 2016

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will bring forward draft regulations under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Officials are continuing their work on implementing the Housing & Planning Act 2016. A number of regulations have been implemented and this process will be on-going throughout 2017.

Almshouses

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the service provided by almshouses to local communities.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Almhouses have for many hundreds of years played, and continue to play, an important role in providing homes for those in need in communities across the country.

HM Treasury

Insurance Companies: Greater London

The Earl of Kinnoull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of the potential loss of EU passporting rights on the international insurance and reinsurance companies operating in London, following the UK's departure from the EU.

Lord Young of Cookham: The Government is committed to getting the best possible deal for the UK financial services sector following the UK's departure from the EU. The insurance sector is diverse and the Government recognises that many firms are focused on domestic markets only. However, the Government understands that EU market access is important to the London Market, a leading global centre of expertise for specialist and commercial insurance, which provides valuable services to businesses in the EU and internationally. The Government has already engaged with international insurance and reinsurance companies and other key stakeholders in the insurance sector, and will continue to do so over the coming weeks and months. We are carefully analysing the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on their businesses, consumers and on other related economic activities. We will listen to concerns, aim to limit uncertainty in the transition and ensure our new relationship with the EU works for such businesses.

Sterling

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the fall in the value of sterling on the UK’s indebtedness.

Lord Young of Cookham: All public debt issued by the UK government is denominated in pounds sterling. Therefore, any changes in the value of the currency do not affect the UK government’s indebtedness.

Corporation Tax: Social Enterprises

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered the merits of exempting social enterprises from paying corporation tax.

Lord Young of Cookham: Many social enterprises are charities, which are exempt from Corporation Tax on most income and gains if they are used for charitable purposes. The Government has also taken steps to support social enterprises by introducing the Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR). SITR provides tax relief to individuals when they invest in qualifying social enterprises. The Government has no plans to exempt all social enterprises from paying Corporation Tax, but keeps all tax policy under review.

Sixth Form Colleges: VAT

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to bring sixth form colleges in line with sixth form college academies in not having to pay VAT.

Lord Young of Cookham: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 25th October 2016 (Question HL2214).

Cabinet Office

Dual Nationality: Republic of Ireland

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK citizens also have citizenship of the Republic of Ireland.

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people there are in (1) Northern Ireland, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) England, who hold both UK and Irish citizenship.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to HL2440 and HL2658
(PDF Document, 114.65 KB)

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many allegations of personation were made to the police in respect of the EU referendum, how many of these are under active investigation, and what proportion this represents of votes cast in the referendum.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The Electoral Commission’s report on the EU Referendum has found that at the referendum there were 19 allegations relating to personation at a polling station and that following police inquiries, five of these cases have been resolved as no further action required, one resulted in a caution being accepted, and the remaining 13 are still under investigation. The Commission’s report states that 33,577,342 votes were cast at the referendum. The Government is currently considering the recommendations of the independent review by my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Sir Eric Pickles), which includes recommendations on tackling the scope for personation and introducing voter ID at polling stations.

Department for International Trade

Liam Fox

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Price on 18 October (HL2097), whether they have assessed that the Secretary of State's curriculum vitae (CV) demonstrates experience of working inside British business; and if so, which part of that CV.

Lord Price: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s CV is available on gov.uk.

Overseas Trade: Caribbean

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to maintain, or improve, Commonwealth Caribbean trade with, and preferential access to, the UK market, particularly in relation to commodities such as bananas and sugar, after the UK leaves the EU; and if so, how that will be achieved.

Lord Price: The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy as the UK prepares to leave the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate and design, in time, our own trade arrangements, including with our 52 Commonwealth partners. We recognise the need for a smooth transition which minimises disruption to our trading relationship with the Carribean.

Department of Health

Children: Social Networking

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 18 July (HL1279) and in the light of the recent report by NHS Digital concerning social media pressure and mental health, whether they will now conduct that research.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Institute for Health Research and the Department’s Policy Research Programme have no current plans to commission research into the possible mental and psychological impact on children of using Twitter and Facebook. In their report, the Mental Health Taskforce recommended that the United Kingdom should aspire to be a world leader in the development and application of new mental health research. The Taskforce asked specifically that the Department, working with relevant partners, should publish a report by February 2017 setting out a ten year strategy for mental health research. The final ten-year strategy is planned for publication in February 2017 and will identify future needs in mental health research. This will include a specific focus on the mental health of children and young people.

Atrial Fibrillation

Baroness Walmsley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to increase diagnosis of patients with atrial fibrillation.

Baroness Walmsley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of clinical commissioning groups have undertaken a systematic audit across GP practices to identify people with (1) possible undiagnosed atrial fibrillation, and (2) atrial fibrillation at high risk of stroke who are not anticoagulated or maintained in therapeutic range.

Baroness Walmsley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to build local primary care leadership to challenge variation, and drive quality improvement, in the detection and management of atrial fibrillation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team is taking action to promote the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within general practitioner (GP) practices in England. GRASP-AF is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the National Health Service which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke. The Sustainable Improvement Team is also working with NHS RightCare, a programme committed to improving people’s health and outcomes, to help promote the use of GRASP-AF in the programme’s 65 first wave clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS RightCare’s ‘Commissioning for Value’ packs help CCGs identify priority areas such as AF, and the GRASP AF tool provides a practical method of addressing any inequalities. NHS England’s intention is that the work with NHS RightCare will increase the number of CCGs using GRASP-AF in a systematic way. Anonymised data from GRASP-AF can be uploaded to CHART Online, a secure web enabled tool that helps practices improve performance through comparative data analysis. This allows practices and CCGs to benchmark their management of AF with other practices across England and so help identify and reduce any variation in practice. The use of GRASP-AF is voluntary and its use therefore varies across CCGs. Currently 2,248 GP practices have uploaded data from GRASP-AF to CHART online across 151 out of the 209 CCGs. Of these, 19 CCGs have all GP practices in their area uploading data. In addition to the NHS action outlined above, all local authorities in England are required to offer the NHS Health Check programme, with the large majority commissioning general practice to provide them on their behalf. More than 15 million people aged 40-74 are, have been or will be eligible for an NHS Health Check between 2014 and 2018. The programme’s best practice guidance recommends that a pulse check is carried out as part of the process of taking a blood pressure reading and those individuals who are found to have an irregular pulse rhythm should be referred for further investigation.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Age UK report on self-funders in care homes published on 20 October showing that self-funded care home patients are in effect subsidising local authority funded patients.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to ask the competition authorities and the Care Quality Commission to review the Age UK report on self-funders in care homes published on 20 October.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Care and support is arranged on an open market where prices and fee rates are negotiated locally by commissioners for state funded clients, whilst individuals and their families do so for those who self-fund. The Government has no say in these individual negotiations. Under the Care Act, councils are under a duty to promote their overall local provider market to ensure it remains sustainable and delivers high-quality services for all local people. Prices and fee rates paid by commissioners to provider organisations must reflect these new duties. The Department published the Care and Support statutory guidance setting out how councils should meet these new duties when commissioning, including the consideration of the actual costs of care and support when negotiating fee levels. This guidance is an online-only resource, subject to updates. The Department is aware of the Age UK report Behind the headlines: ‘stuck in the middle’ – self-funders in care homes. There are many reasons why individuals who self-fund may pay more than local authorities, including premium accommodation and services, and discounts that may be available to authorities for bulk purchasing and lower transaction costs. The Government has no plans to ask the competition authorities or the Care Quality Commission to review the Age UK report, though we maintain a continuing dialogue across government and with the sector to encourage good practice and fairness to consumers.

Pharmacy Integration Fund

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 20 October (HL Deb, col 2484–90), whether the Pharmacy Integration Fund is still planned to rise to a total of £300 million by 2020–21, and whether the planned expenditure of £42 million over two years means that previously planned support is being cut back.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In 2016/17, it was planned that £20 million would be available for the Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF), rising by £20 million per year to a total of £100 million per year by 2020/21, so that over the course of 5 years, £300 million would be distributed through the Fund.The establishment of the Fund and associated work programme for 2016/17 is dependent on the overall financial pressures for NHS England, set out in the Five Year Forward View, and the priorities identified through the recently published National Health Service planning guidance.This means through the business planning process, funding of £42 million has now been secured for 2016/17 and 2017/18.There will be further business planning within NHS England for 2018 onwards which will determine the future provision within the Fund. However, the PhIF is a key priority for NHS England and is aligned with the Five Year Forward View priorities.

Pharmacy: Finance

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 20 October (HL Deb, col 2484–90), how much of the Pharmacy Access Fund will come from existing funds to support community pharmacies, and how much of the Pharmacy Access Fund will be additional money to support community pharmacies.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS) will be paid for from the funding for the community pharmacy contractual framework. The PhAS will be an additional monthly payment, made to all small and medium sized pharmacies that are a mile or more from another pharmacy. The PhAS has been designed to capture the pharmacies that are most important for patient access, specifically those pharmacies where patient and public access would be materially affected should they close. The PhAS takes isolation and need levels into account. The scheme also includes a review process, and reviews of eligibility will also be granted for pharmacies that may have narrowly missed out on the scheme through the distance criteria, but are in areas of high deprivation. This will cover pharmacies that are located in the top 20% most deprived areas in England, and are located 0.8 miles or more from another pharmacy. Additional funding for successful reviews under this criterion will be made available as required.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the anual cost to the NHS of (1) people coming to the UK from overseas to receive non-emergency medical treatment, and (2) non-UK residents receiving emergency healthcare; and how many such persons are estimated to travel to the UK specifically for the purpose of accessing NHS services.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department does not hold data that distinguishes emergency from non-emergency healthcare provided to patients subject to the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015. The Department does not hold information on the numbers of persons estimated to travel to the United Kingdom specifically for the purpose of accessing National Health Service services.